'24,' 'Grey's Anatomy' among top nominees

LOS ANGELES - Suspense drama 24 and Grey's Anatomy, the hit medical drama that focuses as much on its interns' love lives as medicine, were among the top nominees announced yesterday for the Emmy Awards.

The leading nominee, with 16 bids, was the miniseries Into the West.

In a major reversal from last year's awards, neither Lost or Desperate Housewives received best-series nominations. Both won last year.

A number of acting bids went to stars of shows that have left the air, including Frances Conroy and Peter Krause of Six Feet Under, Geena Davis of Commander in Chief, and Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, and Alan Alda of The West Wing.

24 led all series with 12 nominations, followed by Grey's Anatomy with 11. Both received best drama series bids and were joined in the category by House, The Sopranos, and The West Wing.

For 24, Kiefer Sutherland received a best-actor bid. Among the Grey's Anatomy stars recognized were Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson, with supporting-actress nominations. The show was shut out of the best-actress and actor categories.

The comedy-series nominees were Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, Scrubs, and Two and a Half Men.

The stars of Desperate Housewives, which lost its status as critical darling in its sophomore season although it held its ratings, were missing this year from the lead acting category. The stars of Lost met the same fate.

Besides Sutherland, other best-actor nominations for a drama went to Peter Krause of Six Feet Under, Denis Leary of Rescue Me, Christopher Meloni of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Martin Sheen of The West Wing.

Joining Conroy, Davis, and Janney in the best drama series actress category were Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Kyra Sedgwick of The Closer.

The nominees for best actress in a comedy series were Stockard Channing of Out of Practice, Jane Kaczmarek of Malcolm in the Middle, Lisa Kudrow of The Comeback, Debra Messing for Will & Grace, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for The New Adventures of Old Christine.

Louis-Dreyfus, along with another past Emmy winner, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) announced nominations in the top categories in a brief televised ceremony yesterday at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre.

"My skin feels like it's buzzing," she told the Associated Press. "Or maybe that's from all the coffee I've been drinking since 1 a.m."

Showing the flag for Desperate Housewives was series newcomer Alfre Woodard, who received a bid as best supporting actress in a comedy. Joining her were Cheryl Hines of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jaime Pressly of My Name Is Earl, Elizabeth Perkins of Weeds, and Megan Mullally of Will & Grace.

Actors nominated in the supporting category in comedy were Will Arnett of Arrested Development, Jeremy Piven of Entourage, Bryan Cranston of Malcolm in the Middle, Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men, and Sean Hayes of Will & Grace.

Top nominees in the movie and miniseries field, besides Into the West, included Elizabeth I, Mrs. Harris, and Bleak House.

The Emmy Awards are scheduled to air Aug. 27 on NBC, with Conan O'Brien as host of the Shrine Auditorium ceremony. The awards, traditionally held in September at the start of the TV season, were moved up because of NBC's addition of Sunday-night football to its schedule.

There is a total of 94 Emmy categories.

Other Emmy honors, including those for technical achievement and guest actors and actresses in series, will be given at the creative-arts ceremony on Aug. 19.

Nominees in all categories for the 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, announced Thursday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:

9. Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: Elizabeth I, HBO; The Girl in the Cafe, HBO; High School Musical, Disney; Into the West, TNT; Mrs. Harris, HBO.

10. Choreography: Dancing With the Stars: Episode 208, ABC; Dancing With the Stars: Episode 204, ABC; Dancing With the Stars: Episode 208, ABC; High School Musical, Disney; Malcolm in the Middle: Bomb Shelter, Fox; The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Commercial Breaks, Disney.

11. Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series: According to Jim: Mr. Right, ABC; How I Met Your Mother: The Limo, CBS; The New Adventures of Old Christine: Open Water, CBS; Reba: The Goodbye Guy, WB; Two and a Half Men: Carpet Burns and a Bite Mark, CBS.

18. Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre): Episode 1, PBS; Elizabeth I: Part 2, HBO; Into the West: Hell on Wheels, TNT; Mrs. Harris, HBO; Once Upon a Mattress, ABC.

26. Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie: Elizabeth I: Part 2, HBO; Elizabeth I: Part 1, HBO; Flight 93, A&E; The Girl in the Cafe, HBO; The Ten Commandments, ABC.

27. Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series: Late Night With Conan O Brien: Episode 2198, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman: Show 2519, CBS; That 70s Show: We Will Rock You, Fox; Two and a Half Men: That Special Tug, CBS; Will & Grace: The Finale, NBC.

36. Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic): Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Into the West: Wheel to the Stars, TNT; Into the West: Ghost Dance, TNT; Mrs. Harris, HBO; The Ten Commandments, ABC.

41. Music and Lyrics: Gideon s Daughter, Song Title: Natasha s Song, BBC America; High School Musical, Song Title: Get cha Head in the Game, Disney; High School Musical, Song Title: Breaking Free, Disney; MADtv: Episode 1111, Song Title: A Wonderfully Normal Day, Fox; Once Upon a Mattress, Song Title: That Baby of Mine, ABC.

46. Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback, HBO; Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS; Stockard Channing, Out of Practice, CBS; Debra Messing, Will & Grace, NBC.

59. Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program: Barry Manilow, Barry Manilow: Music and Passion, PBS; Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, Comedy Central; Craig Ferguson, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, CBS; David Letterman, Late Show With David Letterman, CBS; Hugh Jackman, The 59th Annual Tony Awards (2005), CBS.

63. Made for Television Movie: Flight 93, A&E; The Flight That Fought Back, Discovery Channel; The Girl in the Cafe, HBO; Mrs. Harris, HBO; Yesterday, HBO.

64. Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Colbert Report, Comedy Central; The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Late Night With Conan O Brien, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman, CBS; Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO.

67. Children s Program: Classical Baby 2, HBO; High School Musical, Disney; I Have Tourette s but Tourette s Doesn t Have Me, HBO; Nick News With Linda Ellerbee: Do Something! Caring for the Kids of Katrina, Nickelodeon.

68. Nonfiction Special: All Aboard! Rosie s Family Cruise, HBO; How William Shatner Changed the World, The History Channel; Inside 9/11, National Geographic Channel; Rome: Engineering an Empire, The History Channel; Stardust: The Bette Davis Story, TCM.

72. Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking: Baghdad ER, HBO; Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company, A&E; In the Realms of the Unreal (P.O.V.), PBS; Three Days in September, Showtime; Two Days in October (American Experience), PBS.

73. Writing for Nonfiction Programming: American Masters: Ernest Hemingway: Rivers to the Sea, PBS; American Masters: John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend, PBS; How William Shatner Changed the World, The History Channel; Penn & Teller: Bull : Prostitution, Showtime; Stardust: The Bette Davis Story, TCM.

78. Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie: Elizabeth I: Part 1, HBO; Flight 93, A&E; Into the West: Dreams and Schemes, TNT; Into the West: Hell on Wheels, TNT; Sleeper Cell: Youmud-Din, Showtime; The Ten Commandments: Part II, ABC.

79. Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or Special: Two and a Half Men: The Unfortunate Little Schnauzer, CBS; The West Wing: The Debate, NBC.

80. Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special or Animation: 78th Annual Academy Awards, ABC; American Idol: American Classics Songbook With Rod Stewart, Fox; Barry Manilow: Music and Passion, PBS; Eagles Farewell I Tour - Live From Melbourne, NBC; 48th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS.

83. Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special: Before the Dinosaurs, Discovery Channel; Into the West: Hell on Wheels, TNT; Mammoth, Sci Fi Channel; The Nightingale (Great Performances), PBS; The Triangle: Part 1, Sci Fi Channel.

88. Writing for a Drama Series: Grey s Anatomy: It s the End of the World, as We Know It (Part 1 & Part 2), ABC; Grey s Anatomy: Into You Like a Train, ABC; Lost: The 23rd Psalm, ABC; Six Feet Under: Everyone s Waiting, HBO; The Sopranos: Members Only, HBO.

89. Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program: The Colbert Report, Comedy Central; The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Late Night With Conan O Brien, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman, CBS; Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO.